Russian bobsleigh team, Konigssee, Germany – 17 January

In the middle of January I found myself in deepest Bavaria shooting a small film about the British bobsleigher Mica McNeill, who was crowdfunding her way to the Winter Olympics after the British Bobsleigh Association had decided to maintain funding for their male teams only. It was the final World Cup race of the season and I thought I would also take the chance to photograph the Russian bobsleigh team in action. They were banned from the Olympics but were allowed to compete in the World Cup competition. Watched by a single spectator, on a snowy afternoon, it seemed a million miles away from the fervour and razzmatazz of the Games. The colour of this photo has been achieved by shooting at the time of day when the the ambient daylight has faded but equals the light levels of the track floodlights. Also I adjusted the white balance of my camera to suit the slightly warm lights of the track- this made the snowy landscape go a pleasing inky, purple tone.

Bloodied Dylan Hartley, Twickenham – 10 February

England played Wales in a tight, tense Six Nations match at Twickenham. Eventually the home side triumphed 12-6 but not before their captain Dylan Hartley had suffered a nastily cut face. It just goes to underline what a tough sport it is and how the top players are willing to put their heads into dangerous situations.

Bryony Frost wins at Ascot – 17 February

In February I made a film about two jockeys, one coming to the end of his career, Paddy Brennan, the other just starting off. Bryony Frost was in her first year as a professional but had already got a string of top victories including a Grade One success with Black Corton. The pairing went on to win seven races in the season including this one, the Reynoldstown Chase at Ascot. Frost is a superstar in the making, a wonderful, natural jockey who seems so at home in the saddle. Here she is patting her horse, with fingernails painted to match her silks, even before crossing the winning line as they cruise to victory.

Jacob Stockdale dives to score a try, Twickenham – 17 March

The Irish rugby team came to Twickenham on the final day of the Six Nations knowing that victory would hand them a grand slam. For some tactical reason, on the morning of the match, England decided to extend the dead-ball area. It was ironic then that Jacob Stockdale, a rising star in world rugby, would touch down and score a crucial try for the Irish in this bigger zone that England had created. The lines had been painted blue so they could be seen clearly in the wintry conditions.

Gymnastics World Cup Birmingham – 21 March

Arena Birmingham is a great indoor venue to shoot at, one which has an easily accessible catwalk in the roof. With a bit of forward planning I managed to get permission to shoot the gymnastics from up there. It’s always a little scary at first, leaning out directly above the athletes performing below you. But it can be worth it as it gives a unique perspective, a different angle that works especially well when the athlete looks up.

Tackling the Chair, Grand National, Aintree – 14 April

Before this year’s race, there was a lot of talk about whether we would finally see a female jockey winning as there were three ladies competing. As part of my plan for the race, I headed to the biggest obstacle on the course, The Chair. Luckily for me, but obviously unlucky for her, Rachael Blackmore took a crashing fall from her horse Alpha Des Obeaux. The eventual winner, Tiger Roll, seen here jumping just behind the falling horse, somehow manages to avoid being caught up. The other two female jockeys finished 5th and 12th. Thankfully, Alpha Des Obeaux was uninjured and has had three races since, winning at Thurles in November.

Liverpool fans, Anfield – 24 April

It was the night of the Champions League semi-final first leg between Liverpool and Roma. Thousands of home fans were on the streets surrounding the ground, trying to build up the atmosphere for the game. Outside a large pub some fans were lighting flares and climbing on top of parked police vans. Conditions for taking decent pictures were not good. The weather was appalling and it was a constant battle keeping the camera lens clear of moisture from the teeming rain. Plus my equipment kept steaming up because of the heat created by the flares and proximity to many hot bodies. This was the best frame where you could actually make out what was actually happening.

David Haye is knocked down by Tony Bellew, O2 Arena – 5 May

David Haye was taking on Tony Bellew in a rematch of their fight the previous year, which Bellew won. This was seen as the last chance for Haye, a great boxer who once claimed the heavyweight title of the world. But the result was the same. Haye was knocked over several times, being completely out-boxed by his Liverpudlian opponent. It was to be the final fight of Haye’s career as he announced his inevitable retirement shortly after. It was a shock for me seeing him sprawled over the canvas like this as I had been lucky enough to see him fight and be successful at the very top of the game.

Arsène Wenger’s farewell, Emirates Stadium – 6 May

After 22 years, Wenger waves goodbye to the Arsenal fans after his final home match in charge. Some had waged a campaign for many months to get rid of him but most of the Arsenal faithful had wanted him to leave with dignity intact. This was achieved and it was fitting that he got the send-off he deserved. After Arsenal had dispatched Burnley 5-0, he walked on to the shaded pitch to receive the applause and the sun lit up a section of the crowd, most of whom were dressed in red T-shirts given away free by the club.

Gareth Bale’s wonder goal in the Champions League final, Kiev – 26 May

A frustrated Gareth Bale had been left out of Real Madrid’s starting line-up for their final with Liverpool. After just over an hour, with the game tied at 1-1, the Welshman was summoned from the bench. Within two minutes he had scored one of the greatest goals of all time, an amazing overhead kick that was a masterpiece of technique and athleticism. I was particularly pleased to capture it but what also makes the picture for me is the look on Cristiano Ronaldo’s face. You can just imagine him saying: “Hang on, I’m the one who’s supposed to score goals like that.” Ronaldo was completely overshadowed on what was to be his final appearance for Madrid.

Matabeleland’s trophy, Conifa World Football Cup, Enfield – 9 June

In early June, exactly a week before the Fifa World Cup kicked off in Russia, an alternative version was held at various non-league grounds in and around London. This was the World Football Cup. Competing were countries, de facto states, self-declared regions and “sportingly isolated territories” that are not recognised by Fifa. One of these, Matabeleland, come from Western Zimbabwe and this was their first ever tournament. Indeed many of their players had never been abroad before. They eventually finished 13th. After the final was played in Enfield every team was given a trophy for participating. The Matabeleland players were overjoyed.

Gold Cup finish, Royal Ascot – 21 June

The showcase race of Royal Ascot week is the Gold Cup held every year on Ladies’ Day. This year saw a thrilling finish with Frankie Dettori winning on board Stradivarius, just pipping Varizabad and Torcedor. It was Dettori’s 60th Royal Ascot winner. For these sort of races the runners always tend to finish on the rails. This gives a nice opportunity to set up a remote camera under the rail and set it off from my position on the other side of the track. Thus I have two angles of the finish, doubling my chances of a decent frame.

Rafael Nadal serves at Wimbledon – 5 July

Nadal has always been a dream to photograph. I love his attitude and commitment which make for great images. He also has a wonderfully expressive face when he tosses the ball up in his service action. I found an angle on Centre Court that meant one hand was covering an eye, thus concentrating the viewer on the other. For this picture I also put on a converter onto my 500mm lens, making it into a 700mm. It enabled me to get very tight on his face with a tiny depth of field, thus throwing out of focus the hand and background.

England lose the World Cup semi-final – 11 July

I had this nasty feeling that I was England’s unlucky mascot in Russia. I only went out for the final week of the World Cup. So my first England game happened to be their loss to Croatia in the semi-final. After the game the desperation on the players’ faces was clear to see, a golden chance to make the final had passed them by. At times like these it is sometimes hard to push away any personal emotions you feel and get on with recording the scenes in front of you.